Sylhet, March 3 (bdnews24.com)- Different organisations of expatriate Bangladeshis are preparing to launch a movement demanding implementation of the High Court verdict in favour of the voting rights of the expatriates delivered 10 years back.
They have maintained that if their demands are not met they might adopt steps like boycotting Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Bangladesh embassies.
An election commissioner, however, has said the new election commission is actively considering the issue of voting rights of the expatriate Bangladeshis. When election commissioner Muhammad Sahul Hossain came to Sylhet in the second week of February to offer fateha at the mazars and the graves of his relatives, said, "The new election commission will actively consider the issue of giving voting rights to the expatriates. If necessary laws will be enacted for it."
It has been learnt that the names of the expatriates had been in the voter list since the independence till 1982. However, two ordinances promulgated in 1982 and 1992 excluded expatriates from the voter list. The two ordinances said that the voters must be present physically for getting enrolled in the voter list. But government officials and employees working in embassies indifferent countries, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Bangladesh Shipping Corporation and banks could become voters even though they stayed abroad.
The names of the hajatis and those detained in the jail could also be enlisted. But as there is no provision for inclusion of Bangladeshis outside these categories the expatriates were excluded from the voter list.
Protests were raised against it from the very beginning. In a continuation, Ali Reza Khan in a writ petition on behalf of UK expatriate Bangladeshi Voting Rights Movement Central Council on November 21, 1995 appealed for inclusion of the expatriates' name in the voter list. Justice Mainur Reza Chowdhury and Justice MA Ruhul Amin in a verdict on August 12, 1997 said, "Those holding Bangladesh passports working abroad and with permanent address in Bangladesh would be eligible for inclusion in the voter list and could cast ballots."
However, 10 years after the High Court verdict no steps have been taken to include the expatriates in the voters list as neither the government nor the election commission took any initiative to this end. The Awami League and the 4-party alliance government on different occasions gave assurances in this regard but they did not implement those.
As a result the expatriates' organisations are preparing for a movement with the next election round the corner. The movement is being centred on greater Sylhet, known as the area of the expatriate Bangladeshis. Several views exchange and press conferences have already been organised in Dhaka and Sylhet in this regard.
Bangladesh Welfare Association and Overseas Union jointly held a press conference at Sylhet on January 24 demanding voting rights for the expatriates. In the press conference they said they might announce programmes like boycotting Biman and High Commission if their demands were not met.
President of Bangladesh Welfare Association Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury said, "The court has given verdict in favour of making the expatriates voters. We fail to understand why the expatriates are not being enrolled as voters. So we now don't have any alternative but to go for a tough movement. No government met our demands. We will soon place our demands with the government."
Weekly Desh Bidesh published from Canada also organised a views exchange meeting at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on February 8 on this issue. In the meeting noted jurist Dr Kamal Hossain, former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury, journalist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury and other noted personalities expressed solidarity with the demand of the expatriates.
Editor of Weekly Desh Bidesh Nazrul Islam Mintu said, they would soon place their demands before the chief adviser and the chief election commissioner.
Earlier Mayor councillor of Tower Hamlets, London Shafiqul Haque on a visit to Bangladesh in January last met the two top leaders to discuss the demand of the voting rights for the expatriates. Former mayor of Tower Hamlets Golam Mortuza also held a views exchange meeting in Sylhet on this demand.
The expatriates point out that in different countries expatriates are enrolled in the voter list; moreover they can cast postal ballots. But in Bangladesh the expatriates are not being enrolled as voters despite their movements and verdict of the High Court.
bdnews24.com/corr/al/eh/mrs/1645 hrs
